Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines added an embarkation port, Liverpool, for the upcoming world cruise aboard the 1,380-guest Bolette. The ship on January 4, 2025 will depart the English city to begin a 110-night โVoyage of Exploration Around the World.โ
The ship, which formerly sailed as Amsterdam for Holland America Line, will make her first call at Southampton, where guests can also embark on the vessel. Bolette will conclude the world voyage in Liverpool as well, on April 24, 2025, after a disembarkation option in Southampton three days earlier.
โWeโre incredibly proud to once again be able to offer World Cruise departures from Liverpool. We know how much our guests value being able to explore the world, and whatโs better than being able to set sail right from their doorstep,โ said Clare Ward, director of product and customer services at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
โOur team are passionate about taking our guests to visit the furthest corners of the globe and experience a variety of unique cultures,โ added Ward.
Other changes to the world voyage include a new 87-night segment, โExploring South America and Australia from Liverpool,โ which concludes in Cape Town, South Africa. The cruise fare includes return air to London from Cape Town.
Destinations on the segment itinerary, which begins on January 4, 2025, feature ports in Portugal and Spain before a transatlantic crossing to ports in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile, followed by calls in French Polynesia, Tahiti, Cook Island, and Australia. From there the ship sails to South Africa.
โThis World Cruise will see Bolette sail through the Magellan Strait taking in Easter Island, idyllic Tahitian islands and iconic Australian cities, before heading on to Africa where guests can seek out wildlife on a safari or visit South Africaโs vineyards,โ said Ward.
The cruise line had earlier announced three other segments, including a 56-night cruise that originally began in Southampton in January 6, 2025. With the Liverpool option, that segment can now begin in Liverpool on January 4, 2025.
During this segment, which mirrors the 87-night sailing, guests will enjoy the voyage through the shipโs arrival in Australia, then debark the ship in Sydney, Australia, and spend one overnight there with hotel accommodations included before flights back to the UK.
The two other, previously announced segments are a 29-night journey, โAustralian and South African Discovery,โ which departs from Sydney on March 3, 2025 and explores several destinations Down Under, such as Melbourne, Hobart, and Fremantle.
The ship then sails to South Africa, calling at Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. The itinerary includes an overnight in Sydney at the start of the segment and an overnight in Cape Town at the conclusion, before flights to the UK.
The shortest segment, the 21-day โScenic Vistas and Diverse Cultures of Africa,โ departs from Cape Town on April 1, 2025 and features calls in Luderitz and Walvis Bay, Namibia, and Dakar, Senegal.
Land explorations include Big Five safaris and visits to the Namib desert and the island of St. Helena. The segment also calls at Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain, and Funchal, Portugal, before ending in Southampton.
Liverpool Welcomes Cruise Ships From All Major Brands
Liverpool is a major cargo and cruise port on Englandโs northwest coast and is a major metro area home to about 500,000 people.
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In 2024, 95 cruise ships operated by the major brands are slated to call, including Carnival Cruise Lineโs Carnival Legend, Royal Caribbeanโs Jewel of the Seas, AIDA Cruisesโ AIDAbella, Regent Seven Seas Cruisesโ Seven Seas Splendor, Disney Cruise Lineโs Disney Dream, and Cunardโs Queen Mary 2.
In fact, Cunard recently honored Liverpool by naming the entire city as a symbolic godmother to the lineโs newest ship, Queen Anne, which was christened at the port of Liverpool on June 3, 2024.